Chapter 7: Ch. 7 – Non Troppo Dolce

Humans.

Trolls.

Shouting ‘Tis I, an Arachne Queen aspirant!’ arriving on scene sounded like a bad idea. Already bad enough that the two sides might be engaged, all they needed was that common enemy in the form of an attractive eight-legged freak.

Despite my rugged good looks, I’m a complete oddity. Hagash hadn’t seen an Arachne in this world. I highly doubted his phonetic mispronunciation was a mistake. It was completely possible that the lore was not set in stone, or just straight up missing – because unfinished game.

I’m left in the dark and fumbling.

Again.

Naturally.

Keeping a low profile as far as that was concerned was the best policy. I was in Wanderer stance, incognito, unknown, mysterious stranger.

Although…

Just as my finger was about to poke the four-color-diamond experimentally, my body pitched and rolled slightly to the left. Thoughts jarred, I twisted behind me to see the rock outcropping left in the dust. Small chips and dents left in it by a few of my pointy clawed feet, still moving forward.

Out in the open air and able to compare myself to things other than smooth cave faces, I was surprised at how large my overall figure was. Eight thick wolf spider-like legs, ornately chiseled and flared like armor plates in some places if I locked them together, kicked up more than a little dirt and forest litter than I’d like. I left a big trail that I couldn’t bother to fix right now, bending backwards briefly to watch the profile of a four-horse chariot’s width behind me. Thankfully I only came up to the top of a regular pickup truck’s cabin.

Actually, come to think of it, little ol’ Ari’s human half was kinda nestled where the driver’s cabin would be on a full-bed pickup. Safe behind where the front pair of deadly appendages began and could curl up to defend. And then, bam, Arachne! Casual strolling let my joints flex so I rode high, then in combat I sank lower to the ground and spread out, letting my human half sorta hide behind the beautiful form of functional carapace. Second nature added an additional gyroscope or something to keep me from losing my lunch.

Speaking of, my human half was more or less static! Like one of those super expensive luxury cars with the splurge in extra suspension. Even Mister Rat, close to the small of my back now and nuzzling into the sweater, wasn’t being turned into a martini shaken-not-stirred.

+Relationship improved with Giant Dire Rat, level five: neutral to warm.+

Alright, furry mascot was finally over that middle ground! Still, probably should keep him within Ari arm’s reach with the upcoming conflict.

All things considered I was only trailing slightly behind the elite Troll. The Bladeweaver polearm-like pair however destroyed pretty much everything they stepped on. Or rather, through. They had a mind of their own as far as slicing through terrain, wood and stone alike, to embed within the ground. If I didn’t actively try to remind my body to march, they’d try to sink up to the hilt. At this rate I might as well just keep them folded or raised in front of me while the six others made due.

Hagash put up his fist, halting.

Stopping with a slight lurch, I quickly scanned around us. Smoke was a football field or three away.

If only I could actually hide myself beyond mere force of personality. It wasn’t like I had the ability to wave my hand in front of someone menacingly and command ‘You do not see giant spider lady.’ Maybe there were Litany words I could learn to counteract that. Some form of invisibility, either by one of those bigger scripts or asking one of those spirits very, very, very nicely.

“Stonefeather. Old tribe,” Hagash whispered, his maul resting on the ground while pointing from right to left.

I couldn’t see shit.

Wait.

I wasn’t a Human anymore. I needed to open all of my senses, just like when I left the cave.

Breathing in slowly, eyes closed while my hood slipped off, something whispered how to reach out and touch the strands of the World around me. Six Arachne eyes overlapped like so many little Venn diagrams as I cast my gaze over towards the hamlet. I could smell the pungent odor on the wind of different bodies, some worse than others. Faint motes off in the distance I could almost see behind my two normal eyes like thermal vision blips.

Words. I needed words.

Which ones would be best?

A Litany?

Back to basics?

Reaching up with a finger, I wound strings of life’s kaleidoscope nearby around it. Just the ones I needed surrounding us. Here goes nothing.

“Mass Project.”

Everything became too bright for my extra eyes, pulling my sweater over it immediately with the blinding pain. My two stone blue orbs opened to see an alien yet somehow comforting sight.

I had wallhacks.

“Ari, Hagash not know what Ari do. Hagash eye feel weird!” my Troll companion warned, thumping his weapon on the ground. Weight shifting from side to side, he looked in the same general direction I was too.

Hagash had wallhacks?

“Don’t worry, I am only making sure there are no other beings near us,” I reassured coolly.

The MAP bamfed an info panel in front of me – well, in the top middle of my extra six eyes - that looked like a grid. Me, Hagash, and Mister Rat were three violet-amber stars in a corner. The good chunk of the center was occupied by wireframes of what I guessed represented nine buildings, an encircling stone fence, crop plots.

It reminded me of a videogame UAV drone marking targets on a tactical minimap as the crow flies.

A hive of activity was made from a swathe of gray dots, one yellow, a few orange, a couple red. Odd enough, it looked a red was on top of the yellow, moving back and forth.

+Targets are Human, Troll, ambient animals. Challenge rating of Human group is inferior to current warband power. Challenge rating of Troll group is average difficulty to current warband power. Ambient animal resources quality is fair.+

Gray wavering silhouettes were running back and forth. Many appeared to be centered between two of the nine buildings, others scattered across the map. More than a few blackened dots. Still. No longer pulsing.

+Would you like to know more?+

Shivering, I focused my will on everything above gray. That must have meant inferior, almost beneath my consideration.

+Targets are one – yellow – level twelve ?Human?; seven – five orange, two red – Trolls between levels ten and eighteen.+

“There is one Human that might be noteworthy among them and seven of your former tribe,” I announced confidently, looking over to Hagash.

He didn’t react.

He was staring at one specific dot, one specific area that looked to be a hill overlooking the hamlet. It sat alone, unmoving.

“Hagash?” I asked once more quietly, taking my staff from where it rested on my abdomen to hold it across my front.

“Kajabash!” he growled, barely restraining an outright roar. “Kin-killer, stab-backer!”

“Hagash, calm yourself!” I replied sharply. Those two titles don’t bode well if he reacted so strongly. Crap! I couldn’t just let him charge in willy-nilly and let someone warn the tribe.

“Ari not know, Kajabash kill Hagash mate!” he shot back, digging in a foot to sprint.

Fuck.

“I understand your need for vengeance, but let me draw him out.” My acquaintance halted, shoulders heaving with murderous intent. He was listening. That’s all I could ask for. “I am sure to invite his curiosity. While I deal with the weaker ones, you may fight him yourself once he shows himself. Is this agreeable?”

His new maul slammed the ground, leaving a sizable crater even without his Sunder.

“Fine.”

“I do not know of your tribe’s way of dueling. I will show no mercy to those that attack myself or any potential resources,” I continued with a somewhat harsher tone than I wanted. Pushy micromanager boss voice. “That includes the Humans. However-”

I hesitated. My insides knotted in my belly, maybe even further within my cold, unfeeling Arachne abdomen.

“However, if they try to run to their big camp and bring others, kill them.”

“Mhrrrhhnnn,” he began, fingers clenching around the haft of his weapon. Thank goodness it was still a little green. “Hagash do what pack leader want. Pack leader promise.”

My staff tapped on his shoulder, turned him towards me. Hagash was caught off guard enough that he didn’t immediately retaliate.

“This is not ‘pack leader promise.’ This is me, Ari, asking you to trust me.” Severe gaze of my own, I shrugged back my hood and fluffed my locks to reveal my red-tipped raven hair, letting it spill freely. I saw the various silhouettes  ever so slightly sharper now in the distance, including the big one on the hill. “I gave you my word that I would see our bargain through, ancheen magicky or pack promise or not. However, I will not do so in a way that ensures we fail.”

Regardless of if this was the normal RPG storyline of an outcast betrayed by his fellows embedded within the game code, this was their reality. Hagash’s reality.

My reality?

“Now,” I concluded, pointing my whackus bonkus stick in the direction of the terrorized settlement, “shall we go?”

“Ari…”

“Yes?” I queried testily, awaiting one more obstacle.

“Hagash… thank.”

I could have sworn there was an emotional choke in his voice. Not that I would be able to find out as I heard a loud thump like when a car door slammed nearby.

Stalking away in strides much quieter than I know they should be was the perfectly outlined silhouette of friendly green, universal color for teammate. Slinking away invisibly stealthed somewhere stage left, I was alone.

“Right then.”

I got this.

“Lady Arienna is here.”

Right.

“I got this.”

Just breathe, find your happy place, march on in there like you own the place.

“Which, actually, I could.”

That was the end goal, owning all the places, taking all the things.

“Lady Arienna, an Arachne of imperial pedigree.”

Imperial? Imperial. The highest form of sovereignty, some might say.

“Only a humble Wanderer wondering what all the racket was, wandering into danger. Naturally.”

Oh god, I forgot one key detail. All our plans hinged on one itsy-bitsy and blaringly glossed over detail.

“A level one Raid Boss Wanderer.”

///

The stone walls came up to about chest high for me. Most roaming trash mobs - ermh, potential garden variety threats in gamer lingo - would probably be deterred by that much. Side I approached from had a gate which was breached, two large oak panels blasted inwards by a battering ram. Or, well, battering Troll. Very effective, considering one was hanging off the hinge and the other had skid across the ground.

I had to wiggle my ass a little bit to get through quietly. Carts and wagons must have been on the small side here.

Mister Rat looked back and forth nervously, having been rolled onto his back while still in his silk swaddling cloth.

Tapping my fingers on the carapace next to him, he sniffed at my action. Fuzzy cheeks, long bristly whiskers, bony plates and spikes of a Dire beast, plus a faintly orange gleam in his dark orbs, he did look concerned. And, well, according to the MAP he was over the neutral part of things.

I patted his head, six eyes keeping a wide lookout.

+Target subdued. Release target?+

Boop. On the snoot as well as the panel.

Much like when I tried to put silk over the staff earlier, it disintegrated into peach ash. Shaking vigorously, he stretched out and yawned mightily, sitting on his rear legs and grooming himself while sitting against my lower back’s length of sweater.

“Okay, the World says you’ve finally warmed up to me,” I started while gingerly holding him like a small child in front of me. Semi-intelligent eyes warily looked back at my smile, unreadable. “You wanna be friends now?”

He nodded.

“Okay. Wait, what?”

He nodded again vigorously.

“I’m going to guess you can understand me now. What’s two plus two?” I asked, much more focused on the development in front of me than the battlefield around me.

My Giant Dire Rat friend held up four teeny toe beans.

“You clever little shit. So you’ve been able to understand most of what’s been happening this whole time?” I chided with praise.

He gestured noncommittally, his whiskers flicked back and forth as he sniffled.

“Well, I’ll sort this out later. You wanna stick with me now?”

+Would you like to add a member, Mist Terrat, level five Giant Dire Rat, to your warband? Y/N+

+Added: Mist Terrat, elite aspirant Giant Dire Rat level five.+

“Okay buddy, but stick on me like butter on toast while we’re here, got it?” I chuckled, turning him around and depositing him on the space about where my Human torso’s waist met the Arachne chassis. He scrambled to nestle under the peach side saddlebag skirt. “Good boy, Mister Rat.”

Weird how he had gotten a name, but hey, I wasn’t complaining if I had a Raid Boss perk that sidestepped a tamer Profession.

A woman’s scream cut through my distractions.

Oh, right, I was here to try and help these people.

Trudging forward, keeping my Bladeweaver namesakes folded upward and ready to strike – mainly to not make pings on the floor – I rounded the corner to see a most unfortunate sight.

It was, in fact, not a scream. More like a passionate cry.

Remember how I said one of the red dots was going back and forth on a yellow dot? One could say, invading their space?

Yeeeah.

Pinned up against a barn, arms wrapped around her assailant’s neck and legs ragdolling around his waist, was a very happy woman enjoying the tender advances of a formidable looking troll. Having no idea how long they had been going at it, all I could do was blush furiously at the brazen example of love blooming on the field of battle.

Yellow was a beautiful girl about my age if not younger. Flowing blonde locks, Nordic alabaster skin, wonderful teal eyes that gleamed with a quartz-like twinkle. Conventionally pretty, to be sure.

Closing my innocent Ari eyes, six Arachne orbs surveyed the area with greater clarity. Wallhacks, fuck yeah.

Red and Yellow occupied, there was an orange dot rooting around in the barn beyond them. Two others were checking out houses on the far side from where I entered. One was standing guard over a big clump of gray motes in the other barn.

“Wait! No, please, no, I’ve told you everything!”

Leaving one last orange dot to account for, looming over the alleyway.

“Stupid hooman, I smash now,” the guttural announcement came from the left. Another group of gray notes on the ground, one a little brighter than the others in front of an orange hostile. “No need whiny face.”

Well, couldn’t have any of that on the noble Lady Arienna’s watch.

With a quick skitter around the big house, I had half a second to take in the scene between the two houses. A late-middle-aged man topped with salted black hair and well-to-do clothes was on his knees. Reminded me of a Renaissance faire shopkeeper. Hands up, about to try and stop a regular wood club from pancaking him barehanded, no doubt praying for a hero.

The pale blue-skinned specimen I had taken up position behind was a lanky thug compared to the absolute unit that was Hagash.

Funnily enough, the man’s fear turned into abject terror as he looked past the Troll about to execute him.

I wonder why?

“Clans of the Earth, rise.”

Three spears of solid rock vaulted from the ground at opposing angles. Lavender pause notes etched haphazardly into each spire, each arm was pierced, the third thrusting straight through the Monstrous creature’s throat. With my swcond sight, I saw a scintillating green aura fight to weave around each injury to become one whole tapestry. The neck’s attempt at regeneration shattered first with the weak green bursting into bright red shards, followed by each arm, as he slumped forward onto the stone skewers.

A small golden spirit appeared in the palm of my hand, lilac musical notes of the Litany spilling into the air around. Top hat, jeweler’s eyeglass, refined clothing. She had the same haughty upbringing as Lady Arienna, I gathered, especially with the greedy way she drank up my mana.

“Thank you, Baroness,” I said with a small nod of appreciation. The name suited her immediately as her eyes sparkled. “I’m sorry I have nothing else to offer. Perhaps the knowledge of weak blood unspilled over your Earth?”

She looked me up and down. Opened a tiny box from beneath the folds of her dress, lush foxtail scarf draped across her shoulders, and sniffed a pinch. There was a faint smirk from her as I recovered a tiny pixel bit of the quarter-tank of mana I juiced the Litany with to instantly kill my enemy.

“No dealing in IOUs, am I right?” I noted dryly. At least I knew that too much damage all at once was a good strategy, though going for the nervous system is probably what did it if this was a super realistic life sim.

The stone spears snapped in half as she waved dismissively, disappearing in a cloud of shale specks. Mister corpse fell harmlessly to the side rather than on top of the man.

The small crowd, three or so families and a few unrelated farmhands by the looks of it, quaked in fear as I approached. Mortified, their leader flicked hazel eyes from the monster dead in front of him and the hoodie-wearing spider lady that had saved his sorry ass from getting pulverized.

“Do you represent this little parcel, manlet?” I asked in a demure tone. My bladed legs tip-tapped on the ground next to the Troll, leaving deep scores in the cobblestone.

Unironically calling a guy a manlet. Score!

“N-n-no, I mean, uh, maybe-, wha-, wha-, who are you to ask?” he blabbered, having enough sense to be polite at least.

Also, that confirmed he didn’t know I was an Arachne. Forgotten spider kingdom backstory, here we go!

“All you need to know is I am able to deal with a predicament you seem to find yourselves in,” was my unconcerned reply. Mist Terrat covertly poked his head out from underneath the saddle skirt for ear scritches. Balancing on my rear legs, the front two stabbed into the dead Troll and started bringing it back towards me to punctuate the sentiment. “The terrible noise begged investigation. I am fairly certain that of the two parties involved in this little conflict, you might be a little more open to discussion.”

Forester started telling me things as the body felt weightless on my forelimbs, wanted to process the corpse. Whispered what I might get. I pushed away the MAP loot table window, trying to focus on negotiations and monitoring Mass Project mini-MAP. Yellow and her Red beau were still going at it with the ol’ in-out, but one orange dot was moving out of place. Towards me.

Getting on his knees, the man groveled before me. He didn’t bother moving out of the small pool of black-red blood that was accumulating next to him. Looking up, I liked the expression on his face. Fear maybe not so much, but the desperation of one who needed something that I could give. It felt good to have that power over someone. Almost like all was well with the world.

“I am Tamlin Milgrant, first freeholder of the families here. Please, we-, my-… my-“

His eyes dancing over my form, lingering on my face and meeting my cold blue eyes, six glimmering violet ones unmoving, I had to choke down a smirk. He was wondering what to call me.

“My lady, please I beg of you, save our home! I will do anything for you, anything at all!” Tamlin pitched forward, a tiny tock on the ground that made me wince as he hit it a little too hard. Got to give credit for commitment. “Please lend us your aid and I will meet any demand you make of us. Just spare my family!”

There was a small cacophony of dissent as the guy kinda threw all the others under the bus there. Blood thicker than water and all that I guess, but that’d probably bite him in the ass later. Not my problem.

The Troll walking towards us was.

“No one leaves to warn more of your kind. If they try-,” I whispered carefully, turning around to fling the dead Troll against the house to make sure he was dead. Still no regeneration trying to stitch himself back together. Good. “-the method used to halt them had better be one you choose.”

“Oi! Lobash done smash weak hoomans?” called out victim number two. “Kajabash say home go.”

“It shall be as you say, my lady,” Tamlin quickly replied, raising only to look behind him and click his tongue at everyone else.

“Thank you, my lady!”

“Thank you!”

“My lady thank you!”

I felt nothing about the empty lip service. Saving their hides was the only thing on their mi-

“T’ank yoo spoider laydee.”

I paused, turning my head just enough for one Arachne eye to see the last Human voice.

A little boy clutching his doll, pure and innocent, no trickery in his eyes. His sister held him close, old enough to realize maybe his outburst could spell doom. Newbie didn’t say there were kids in this game.

You are reading story Arienna’s Cadence at novel35.com

“Lobash!” the approaching Troll shouted again. Moving a little quicker. Two others that were in their houses began heading here too.

This changed things.

“Boy. What is your name?” I asked, turning halfway towards the group of groveling supplicants. Some of the adults shrank away. His sister stared at me defiantly, talking a fierce half-step in front of him. No one claimed them. Parents gone?

“Alex,” the girl growled. “And I’m Rachel. We aren’t afraid of no Trolls! And we’re not afraid of you, spider lady!”

I heard the impatient crunch of giant feet on stone approaching.

They weren’t the only kids.

The blood on the floor, the body I had brutally executed, Hagash’s storyline.

Oh my god, this wasn’t just a game. Could it?

I didn’t ask for Newbie to elaborate, he didn’t contest when I said this World was their reality.

This is a… Their… My…

My reality.

“This is my friend, Mist,” I answered her challenge. He popped out of the comfy silken skirt to the gasps of the cowering farmers, realizing he was also covered in bony plates and spikes. “Alex, Rachel, will you look after my friend? I will be back to retrieve him.”

The wee lad weaseled out of his sister’s arms to come up towards me. Holding Mist Terrat carefully, I leaned down to place him in front of the boy. Alex could ride the beast like a small horse at this age. Precious.

“Okee spoider laydee,” he beamed, some of his baby teeth missing.

“Call for me if there’s trouble,” I said – apparently in Giant Rat at this point – to Mist. “Don’t let any of them run.”

With a flick of the ear toward me, he started to act like a dog would with a new friend, careful to not damage Alex as the boy led them back to the scared shitless group of humans. Not only had a giant half-woman, half-giant spider saved them from a troll, she pulled a Giant Dire Rat out from between her legs.

Would wonders never cease?

“Lobash, dummy, Kajabash say we need-!” were the Troll’s last words coming around the alley.

Swish.

His body teetered. One hand was on the corner, the other still wrapped around his spear as it scraped back and forth.

Just one problem, it no longer had a head.

As I began strutting out of the alleyway’s shade, I caught the attention of the two other Trolls beginning to investigate the racket. Neatly balanced on my crossed blades was Lobash’s friend. They growled and roared, pointing at me with curses and jibes I didn’t bother listening to.

Gripping the hair of the beheaded enemy, shards of regeneration dripped scarlet red from his aura as it expired, I threw it toward the pair. My blade limbs raised up aggressively. I pushed over the body that didn’t realize it had died, clattering like a sack of potatoes.

Two down, three to go.

I looked over at Yellow with barely withheld stupefaction. Two questions.

How could she be fucking a Troll at a time like this? Why was she enjoying it so much?

I saw a flash of pink. The Red troll seized up. Yellow wrapped her previously passive legs around him. My cheeks burned a little as I played voyeur, but then paled as I realized something.

Pink. Like third bar. And she was looking at me, dead in the eye. Something was wrong with hers. Too bright, too reflective, an off-color one moment and the next that both sets of my ocular cavities found unsettling.

Oh.

Ohhhh.

That Troll wasn’t fucking. He was getting fucked.

Yellow sighed in adulation, letting his tusks graze her as she pulled his mouth over her neck. Her gaze never broke from mine as she shared a knowing grin, although mine virgin body couldn’t resist feeling secondhand shame burn through it. His skin deepened to an uncomfortable shade of deep ocean blue, frostbite round the edges, slowly becoming rigid between thrusts.

+In combat.+

Ah, right.

“Big spider hooman! Big spider hooman!” the larger of the pair hollered in alarm. He took out a curious looking twig with sinew wrapped between two limbs. Ironwood, the best wood around. But why was he taking a small rock out of a bag on his belt?

Pulling back on the elastic strap with it?

Letting fly a fist-sized projectile out of his slingshot. I narrowly ducked my head out of the way. A loud bang echoed behind me, crater where the deadly thing had whizzed with great effect.

Well, shit, a sniper.

The other guy was wielding a spear about the same size as my staff. What distinguished the two? His had something shiny and sharp looking on the end.

My staff rose, readying to joust at Sniper. Spear took up arms next to his friend, unsure of what to do next.

“What is this, a pair of cowardly warriors who refuse to meet their enemy?” I jabbed, mildly amused. Lyrical notes floated off of my arms and dripped down my fingers, a violet three-lined musician’s script wrapping around my own Ironwood branch from the tips.

Spear was about to shout a rebuttal before Sniper wrenched him back with a firm hand on the shoulder. A spark of intelligence behind his eyes leered at me. He was smart enough to not be goaded by a strange new enemy that spoke his language and had just dispatched one of his fellow tribe members so easily. As much as I hated to admit it, the reaction was refreshing. No two enemies the same.

From my right, the third orange dot made himself known by quietly edging out of a house. Wielding a carved bone in the shape of a sword, he also looked rather fearsome. That accounted for all of them. Take them out, drag out Kajabash, fulfill my promise. Install Hagash?

I took the brief pause to advance a few steps out of the alley and to the side, getting rid of the chance for collateral damage. Quick glance backwards with my leftmost extra eye was treated to a mixture of awe and even more terror. Still, little Alex and fiery Rachel watched amongst the rest, bright-eyed and hopeful despite the terror and blood around them. In front of them, steel-gray eyes of a man met mine with the slightest of nods. Odd.

Gritting my teeth, I had to focus ahead. If anything, a little more confident knowing there was someone behind me ready to fight, even if it was a weak Human. A spark above the rest.

I was not going to a Game Over screen if I died, pressing a respawn button for a no-consequences save reload.

There was no guarantee this all reset to the same World I woke up in. No guarantee this place wasn’t going to be nothing but a ruin. No guarantee I’d be making friends with Hagash.

Most of all, no guarantee Alex and Rachel were going to be here again. Looking up at me like I could make a difference. Even if I wasn’t some dashing Human hero they could aspire to be, I was the wanderer they were counting on here and now.

Exhaling softly, the three enemies moved as a coordinated team. Humming a melody, I never was good at making things on the spot. There was one or two songs from highschool I loved that came to mind though. Maybe I could repurpose it here.

Sniper plinked more rocks my way which I hid from behind my legs. Spear advanced with the covering fire. Sword two-handed his bone blade and roared as he charged.

Fuck. Couldn’t remember. Improv smash poetry it was. Pentameter usually worked for spooky chants, right?

“Coal of the living Flame, please heed my call.”

Mister Coal appeared in front of me. As my palm opened, he stood in the purple pool and double-handed his sledgehammer with a wide grin. My mana bar gradually slid down, down, down as I focused my will on a long Litany. The one you could memorize specifically. The air around him swirled fog the color of rust.

    “Dance and leap from arms with hungry red,

    Sing with glee as promised fuel is fire fed,

    Rise up to fill mine enemy with dread,

    Cleanse mine foes with your Flame,

    Break chain, no longer tame!”

I brought my weapon down, hard. The ground broke, cracks spiderwebbing from the impact. Sparks flew this way and that. Thinking that was it, I was mildly underwhelmed.

Then nearly jumped out of my ash gray chitin as the tips of my Arachne limbs lit up like so many torches.

Harsh blue notes and measures replaced the gentle meandering scribbles of orange that followed the instrumental staffs across my body. My human half’s magical markings ignited into brilliant amethyst, even the lines under my hoodie visible. The same happened with the Ironwood, though I did notice that the ends were beginning to smoke. Fire hardening the green wood. Untreated, not a true weapon. Couldn’t hold magic.

If I didn’t act fast, no more stick as it smoked and sizzled.

Bursting into flames made the Trolls skid and pause. Tremors of fear. Hesitation shared between each other.

“Think you can give me a little pick-me-up back for defending these people?” I whispered, looking at Coal. He lifted his hammer with one hand, nodding. My mana went back up to a quarter, just enough to call on some healing if I really needed it. “Thanks, my guy. I’ll pay you back after this.”

With a bark of laughter like logs crackling, he flicker-stepped somewhere. I could almost see Yellow pause out past my tunnel vision, almost finished with her battle.

Sniper shot another rock. It caught me in the chest and stung, leaving behind a bad welt. Health budged a tiny percentage. Either they were on the weaker end of the spectrum, my Litany buff helped defense, or there was a horizon’s distance between what Hagash could do and these trash mobs.

Advancing forward at a brisk pace, smoldering tracks were left behind as Sword charged in to meet me with a wild slash.

Parrying with the staff, Spear came towards me with a thrust to my belly. He must have forgotten about my natural weapons because I cut the pointy stick in half with a Bladeweaver namesake. Even those had fire woven around them, setting the useless stick ablaze as Spear hopped backwards from my second forelimb. A rock hit me in the shoulder to little effect, another to my forearm.

I whirled the staff around to clock Sword upside the jaw. Focusing with an Arachne eye, one palm opened toward the other enemy as he roared in challenge.

The form of Coal streaked towards him. Sledge walloping Spear on the head, the Troll immolated before the Flame spirit returned, flickering like an afterimage back towards me. He settled on my shlukder with along gout of soot from his cigar toward the stumbling enemy, sharing a knowing smile with me.

Howling as his flesh was being consumed, I swept his legs out from under him. Then trampled him. Multiple times. Hard. Little snaps and crackles as each step added more embers to the conflagration until he stopped moving. Sniper did his best to pelt me with rocks, nearly tripping over rubble and dead Humans with their animals as he backpedaled.

“Annoying pest,” I hissed, batting aside one of the rocks aimed at my face. More and more hit my sweater and sleeves, negligible effect.

Pouncing forward, I raised the quarterstaff for an overhead smash. Sniper grinned.

Sword leapt to tackle me from the side, try to take my head. Realized that the sparkly gems across my face weren’t just for show as the lilac eyes darkened, channeling my will while he thought I was blind to his advance.

“Flame, dance.”

Coal rose to my defense in a flash, spinning around with his sledgehammer to knock the Troll back toward the house he was guarding before. Part of the chest was caved in, immediately scorched, now catching fire in his flesh.

Hoping to catch me with a cheap shot to my probably softer underbelly, Sniper threw a haymaker.

Having a huge field of vision was wonderful.

Didn’t get the chance as he instead looked at my blades lancing through his shoulder and leg. I forced him back, first kneeling, then to the ground as my blades pierced into the stone. His clothing blackened as indigo breve notes and hold pauses began slithering off my blade limbs and crawled across his skin.

I shifted the haft hand-over-hand.

Then put him out of his misery. Clean blow to the throat, wrenching to the right to feel things pop that probably shouldn’t. The fire readily welcomed the meal.

Ash scattered and my Bardic azure flames went out. Looking over where my enemies were slain, I realized they were completely burned up. Fuck, waste of resources. Oh well, at least two were more or less intact, and almost finished without a hitch.

+Encounter end.+

Sighing with relief, I immediately fixed Yellow with a glare. The blue-skinned and dangerously leveled Red Troll she had been getting to hump her expired, green aura melting into a puddle like ice cream on summer pavement. What I guess was left of his life force shifted into motes the color of arctic white and absorbed into her own shade of rose quartz. As she slid down his front and quickly buttoned up her unassuming peasant attire, we shared a little look. She was equal parts intrigued, wary, maybe a little intimidated.

“You. Once this is finished, we are-“

Two things happened.

First, if she wasn’t surprised before, she certainly was after I addressed her. Whatever came out of my mouth was not what she was expecting, whether because I had spoken Troll just a second before or she heard something altogether different. The MAP wasn’t helpful about what language I was speaking, definitely something to request a feature. Accidentally pushing the dead Troll over, he fell in one stiff piece and shattered to pieces like cheap glass.

Second, I heard something. Rumbling. Harsh. Made the air quiver with dread.

“THUNDERSTRIKE!”

+In combat.+

+Warning: artillery! Warning: within area of effect!+

The mini-MAP tactical overview panel persisted, highlighting the plaza an insistently flashing ruby. Streaking through the air I saw some kind of javelin arcing overhead. Electricity writhing around it, a perfect throw.

What to do, what to do? I didn’t want to put faith in the new Earth Baroness, not without some way of satisfying her. Coal could do jack shit from down here. Same with Captain, water would make things worse.

That left Emerald.

The lightning spear reached its highest point and hovered with an uncanny midair correction. It aimed straight down. The center of the hamlet. Where I also happened to be standing.

“Tr-, Tribes of-, Tribes of the-,” I stumbled, mouth and tongue tripping over each other for some reason. Like stage fright at a recital, not able to start the song set. I knew what I wanted, why wasn’t it working? “Tribes of th’ W-, I ask-! Fuck!”

Level one Bard.

Limited longer Litanies.

I just burned my only slot on making a Flamesong. I forgot I was a newbie too. This was my tiny upper limit. Looking up at my doom, there was this haunting feeling that I was probably going to die from this attack. Electricity and things with six or more legs didn’t mix, I knew that from bug zappers. It did look pretty though.

Wait. No. I wasn’t going to take this lying down. I still had the mana for maybe one big ask!

“Tri-, Emerald! I ask for you to shout!” I cried, bracing myself for what it was worth behind the Ironwood staff, hands on opposite ends.

A gust of wind blasted from me, gale force trying to knock the attack off course. Hopefully, hopefully it would-!

With that dull sonic boom you usually hear from the cartoon boss battles, the javelin hurtled downwards. Straight through my last-ditch effort. My human eyes screwed shut while my Arachne ones couldn’t. I was treated to seeing the approaching magic-infused weapon, power overwhelming the senses of what my second nature could comprehend at this level.

[Aegis.]

A soft voice reminding me of chimes rang clear in my ears, snowflakes coalesced in the air above me. Interlocking. Layering. Shielding.

[M-mo-move!]

The terrible sound of glass screeching in protest made me open my eyes. Flicking my human ones to Yellow, she struggled with some form of icy blue glyphs in her hands.

My mana was almost completely tapped. One last try.

“Tribes of the Wind, slash this spear from its path!” I called, one hand dripping only a small bead of purple from its palm while I pointed up. A series of snowflakes broke apart. If that thing landed, everyone might die.

No, would.

Emerald appeared on my wrist, looking down at me with a pained expression. Gaze went between me, the violet notes, my arm. Tried saying something, mouthing a phrase, but couldn’t break the barrier between our worlds. Slashing, cutting, pointing at my-

Oh.

That…

That was an option…

“Will I stay awake?”

[Wh-why are you st-sta-staying?] Yellow pleaded, struggling with her own spell.

Emerald nodded apologetically. Her tambourine rose much like a different instrument, a tool of metal that made no music of its own.

Looking behind, I knew the villagers huddled together for whatever cold comfort they had for hope. Mist.

Rachel.

Alex.

Steel-gray eyes.

“Do it.”

The Air spirit began an elaborate dance, gyrating, a whirling dervish of motion. I could feel winds whipping around, flapping my hood around, scattering the Troll ash and debris. The Thunderstrike was so very close to breaking through the last Aegis barrier, so many cracks forming under the pressure and whirling crackles.

I screamed.

The cards.

It hurt like the deck of cards. Razor sharp, raw power that rooted me in space, scouring over my body. Crimson gold blood sprayed fine mist from sliver-thin fissures across my Arachne half as carapace cracked. Gashes up and down my chest and arms appeared, soaking through most of my hoodie.

A frisbee – no, discus – spun in front of me. Ethereal jade, runes and symbols etched within its frame, Emerald cut through the air with her finger.

And sent it sailing clear away from the hamlet.

No…

Emerald…

Why?

The last complicated snowflake started to disintegrate. I could almost taste the ozone frying from the lightning rod about to crash down upon us. The spear tip broke through.

The discus slammed the haft at an angle, knocking the projectile off course at the last microsecond. Like hitting a rock with another stone, it veered to the side to redirect all of that terrible momentum. Sailed clear through a wall. Explosion. Blowback still hit the hamlet from the outside, so at least our lives were spared. A couple houses, the second barn, more of the wall toppled over.

Drawing my quivering legs together, I hid behind bleeding and broken legs against the salvo of splinters and rock shards. Yellow had ducked into her barn. The people in the alleyway bleated like so many scared sheep.

Silence.

+Encounter end.+

Shakily breathing, I got my bearings. Mana completely spent, health severely depleted down to barely above zero and rising painstakingly slow. The only signs of life my MAP info showed was behind me, the Humans and Mist, and Yellow in front of me, a few inferior challenging silver mists in the ruins. A weak green dot out on the edge, flickering, towards a hill well away from the battle. Why was-?

[Y-you-yo-you are hu-hurt,] the voice like chimes whispered in my ear. The barn door slowly opened, revealing Yellow as she stepped over frozen Troll’s semi-chunky remains sapped of all warmth towards me. Mouth open but no words came out, just that airy crystalline noise. [I c-c-can h-help. L-let me. Pl-pl-lll-please.]

“I… am… fine…”

Rising to an imperious posture that towered almost her full height again over her, Arachne-half thudding with each large limb, I grit my teeth and pointed my staff at her. Yellow jumped in place, hands up.

“You, however, require a little more than empty overtures to assure me of your intentions,” I shot back, moving the staff to indicate her handiwork. I had seen that big guy alive one moment, dead the next, from just her ‘touch.’ And, well, other things she was doing, but the principle held! “One act of good alone does not excuse doubt!”

She looked like I just shot her puppy. Tears welling in her eyes. Yet, falling like solid drops of ice. Some flecks of snow in a breeze.

“However,” I sighed, loosening my body language to cautious rather than outright ready to retaliate with a pounce, “it may not be difficult. Your spellcraft with the Aegis was fortunate. For everyone.”

Her spirits lifted, teasing a smile. A toothy smile. Something was bugging me. Twinkling irises of teal that sparkled deep within. Teal is a mix of blue, green.

Green. Flickering. Wavering. Fading.

Oh no. No, no, no, the hill!

“Hagash!” I wailed, turning towards the hill he had left towards, the last little green dot on the field. Turning about, I pushed through the pain as my butchered body did its best to hide the fact I was limping heavily.

That idiot! What did he do?!

“If you wish to prove yourself a worthy handmaiden to me, follow!” was my decree. Shocked into action, she tripped over an icy broken arm, skidded along the cobblestone, and tried to keep pace after me. “Quickly! Whatever form of healing you have that does not use Flame!”

Damned fool, you had better be alive you asshole!

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